LUCKNOW: Police have launched an investigation into a wide-ranging forgery and fraud case involving counterfeit flat allotment letters connected to the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA). The investigation was initiated following a formal complaint from Ram Kishore, a senior LDA official. A First Information Report (FIR) was filed at Gomtinagar Police Station against five individuals, including Harshit Gupta, along with Piyush Pathak, Ravi Kumar Kashyap, Rimpy Singh, and Varun Kumar Sahu, plus an unidentified accomplice, for allegedly fabricating and distributing fraudulent allotment letters with forged signatures of senior LDA officials.
According to Ram Kishore, the issue was brought to light when Gupta, a resident of Flat No. I-1204, Alaknanda Apartment, contacted higher authorities on October 3, claiming that counterfeit allotment letters for flats in Sutlej, Yamuna, and Kaveri Apartments in the River View sector of Gomtinagar Extension had been issued, bearing forged signatures of the additional secretary of the LDA.
Gupta reported receiving these letters via WhatsApp from Piyush Pathak (Flat No. R-1206, Alaknanda Apartment), but no original documents were provided. When LDA officials examined the photocopies, they found them to deviate significantly from standard LDA allotment letter formats. The forged documents featured fake signatures and missing flat numbers, confirming their fraudulent nature.
The investigation revealed that various individuals were listed as beneficiaries of these fake allotments: Ravi Kumar Kashyap from Nagar Panchayat Office area in Sumerpur, Hamirpur, was allegedly assigned to Sutlej Apartment (G-12), Sector-4, River View, Gomtinagar Extension. Rimpy Singh from Friends Colony, Harjinder Nagar, Kanpur, was shown as receiving Kaveri Apartment (G-12), Sector-4. Harshit Gupta from Chand Thok, Sumerpur, Hamirpur, was allocated Yamuna Apartment (G-12), Sector-4, and Varun Kumar Sahu, residing near Bus Stand, Sagar Road, Sumerpur, Hamirpur, was purportedly alloted Kaveri Apartment (G-12), Sector-4, River View. Subsequent verification by the LDA confirmed that no such letters were officially issued and that the signatures were indeed forged. Following this, authorities directed that an FIR be registered.
